Real Life in NYC
by MusicSpeaksForever
Summary: After moving to NYC, Kurt and Blaine start realizing that real life isn't exactly what they thought it would be.  Relationships are tested, emotions are revealed, & friendships are altered.  Will they be able to handle everything?  future!Klaine
1. Past Remembrance

_**So, this is my first ever fanfiction and I am way nervous and excited to see where it will go... Hopefully it will turn out alright. I have quite a few different story lines planned, so more chapters should be coming soon. Any reviews, thoughts, impressions, criticisms, comments, or anything you want to say about the story would be much appreciated! Also, disclaimers... I don't own Glee, any lyrics mentioned throughout the story, or any of the characters (this applies to all chapters). Hope you enjoy!**_

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><p>"<em>Cause everything you do and words you say, <em>

_You know that it all takes my breath away, _

_And now I'm left with nothing_

_So maybe it's true_

_That I can't live without you_

_And maybe two is b-"_

As Blaine reached over to turn his phone alarm off, he couldn't help but suppress a smile. Today was the day he was finally going to make everything right again. He'd been dreaming and dreading this day for weeks and now, he'd finally have the chance to do what he should have done in the first place.

He stumbled out of bed and groggily walked to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, he turned the shower on as hot as he could stand it and pulled off his boxers. Walking in the shower, he felt sudden relief. Showers always did something to Blaine. It was the one place where he felt safe to mull over his thoughts and today, he definitely had some issues to ponder.

He'd been living in New York for just over a year now. A lot had happened that past year. He had moved here with Kurt, both of them attending their first year at NYU, Blaine majoring in musical theater and Kurt majoring in fashion design. At first, life had been blissful. They had decided to move in together and were renting an apartment. Every day was a new, exciting journey and life was perfect. It was only when classes started and they were meeting new people that things took a turn for the worse. Today was the last day he would he allow himself to remember what had happened that caused them to break up. The memories were too painful, yet he allowed himself to become lost in those moments from so long ago. Not judging, just remembering.

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><p>"Blaine, I'm headed over to Joey's to study for the psychology midterm," Kurt called out as he walked in the bedroom to grab his bag, "Don't wait up for me, we'll probably be out late tonight."<p>

"Alright babe, love you," Blaine said, standing and giving the other boy a quick peck on the lips before resuming his advanced statistics homework. Why the school made a theater major take stats, he had no idea. He heard the door close behind Kurt and sighed. There had been something going on with the other boy, but Blaine couldn't figure out what it was. Instead of delving into his relationship problems, he continued with his homework until he finally finished the last problem. After checking his answers with his answer guide book, he felt satisfied and lay back on the couch.

Now Blaine was used to Kurt studying with other people, but sometimes, he wish he'd stay home at night. Kurt had been out every night this past week studying or finishing homework and Blaine was starting to feel lonely. He knew it was close to midterms and knew that his boyfriend was competitive and wanted the top spot in all of his classes, but Blaine sometimes wished that they could spend a night alone, without any homework or interruptions. He sometimes felt like Kurt was growing more and more distant. When they talked nowadays, the conversations were short, though it could be due to stress and mountains of homework. Blaine was usually busy during the day rehearsing and memorizing lines while Kurt was talking about new designs and working as an intern for some student fashion magazine on campus.

This meant that their time alone had been reduced to late nights, early mornings, and the occasional lunch or coffee break during the middle of the day. Back at Lima, they had spent every possible moment together, but once they got to New York, their busy lives had kept them apart more and more. Blaine was starting to feel sorry for himself when he heard the phone ring.

"Hey Blaine, it's me, Jared."

"Oh hey Jared, what's up?" Blaine asked. Jared lived in the apartment complex right across the street and was in Blaine's literature and beginning theater classes. They had become decent friends, but didn't really talk all that often outside of class about anything besides homework and school. Jared was a couple years older than Blaine and already had a degree in business that was forced upon him by his parents. His true passion was theater and music, so he was taking classes during his free time and performing whenever he had the chance.

"I was, um, wondering if, maybe, you know, maybe you want to come over and have a drink?" Jared started to explain, "It's just, me and some friends are having a little… impromptu party to relax from midterms. I know you've been stressing, especially with the big performance coming up and all…"

Blaine smiled inwardly and couldn't help but feel that it might do him some good to take time away from his apartment and school for just one night. Technically he wasn't old enough to drink, but that hadn't stopped him before.

"Sure," he replied casually, "that sounds like fun, I'll be over as soon as I change into some decent clothes." He had already changed into some sweats, planning on spending the long night at home watching some movies until Kurt got back. He didn't have class until noon tomorrow, so he'd have plenty of time to sleep in. And besides, Kurt said he wouldn't be back until late, so what harm would it be to go over and have a couple of drinks with some friends?

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><p>As Blaine delved into the memories of him and Kurt from the past, he suddenly realized he should probably get out of the shower. He turned off the water, grabbed his towel, and quickly dried off as he walked back to his bedroom and opened his closet. He grabbed a pair of dark denim skinny jeans, and simple white v-neck tee, and a deep red long-sleeved sweater. Kurt had always said that he looked good in red and Blaine reluctantly agreed. After debating over which shoes to wear, he finally pulled on a pair of black and red converse. He looked at himself in his full-length mirror before finally nodding his head once and hurrying to the kitchen.<p>

It had been less than a year since that night so many years ago when he and Kurt had stood in this kitchen. They had been arguing and Blaine was drunk out of his mind. He had just returned from the party at Jared's place, though he wasn't quite sure how he made it home without passing out due to his ridiculously high blood alcohol level. He only remembered little bits and pieces of the party, but the argument is burned in his memory as if it had happened yesterday.

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><p>"How the hell could you do this?" Kurt yelled, looking furious with his hands on his hips and his nostrils flaring ever so slightly.<p>

"Me? Dammit Kurt, why the hell does everything end up being my fault here?" Blaine yelled back angrily, the older boy taking a slight step forward, "Have you failed to notice that we hardly spend time together anymore? Have you failed to notice that the only time we kiss is when one of us is leaving the apartment? Have you forgotten that we used to ditch class just so we could go to the park and sit on the swings, together, just the two of us? Do you remember what it used to be like to just be us, just Kurt and Blaine, together?" Blaine swallowed the hard lump in his throat, forcing himself not to cry right now and continued, "Do you remember when we first met and everything was new and electric? How we used to stay up for hours texting each other before we even got together? Then, when we finally admitted our feelings, do you remember those nights where I would sneak into your bedroom and we would lay there, just basking in the presence of one another? Do you remember Kurt? Do you remember what it used to be like?" His voice started to crack, but he ignored the emotions and inched a step closer to Kurt and went on, "Because I haven't forgotten us Kurt. I haven't forgotten why we moved here. I haven't forgotten that we just wanted to be together without people threatening to hurt us or shoving us into lockers. I haven't forgotten that I want to be with you and only you. It was just you and me against the world and now that we don't have to fight everything together…," the older boy's voice trembled slightly as he whispered, "I feel like I've lost you." At these last words, Blaine looked down, finally allowing the tears to flow freely down his face as his hands trembled.

Blaine knew he had made a mistake tonight. He had never intended for things to go so far, but they had. And now, he was fighting to hold on to the one thing that actually mattered to him in this life. The one person he couldn't live without.

Kurt inched slightly closer to Blaine and wanted to comfort him, he really did. He wanted to tell him that he still felt the same way, that he wanted Blaine as much as Blaine seemingly wanted him. He loved Blaine with all of his heart and hadn't meant to cause the older boy so much grief and loneliness. Yet after walking in on his boyfriend with his tongue down that Jared guy's throat, he couldn't help but wonder if the words Blaine had said really meant anything at all. Yes, Blaine was drunk, drunker than Kurt had ever seen the older boy before, and the alcohol had likely caused Blaine to act irrationally. But that gave him no excuse to cheat on Kurt with that bastard Jared. Still, he was still too angry to do anything but sigh and put a hand on the older boy's shoulder.

"Let's get some sleep and we'll talk everything out in the morning, alright?"

Blaine just nodded his head as Kurt led him to the bedroom. The younger boy decided it probably would be best if they didn't share the same bed tonight, so he grabbed some extra sheets and went to the couch, settling in for the night as he heard Blaine get up and run to the bathroom, puking the contents of his stomach into the toilet for the third time since Kurt had gotten Blaine back to the apartment. He really hoped his boyfriend would remember enough from tonight to discuss everything that had happened in the morning.

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><p>Blaine was thinking about what had happened that next morning as his phone buzzed on the counter and brought him out of his reverie. He looked down to see he had a new text from Kurt, "Hey, I'm down at the coffee shop, where are you?"<p>

He could just hear his ex boyfriend's faintly worried and annoyed voice through that message and smiled slightly before replying, "I'll be there in five minutes. I just have to grab something first." On his way out, he grabbed his keys and his bag and stealthily slipped a little envelope in his jacket pocket before closing the door, running to meet up with Kurt for their coffee date. Hopefully today would not be a disappointment.


	2. Emotional Extremes

_**Thank you to everyone so far who has read, commented, favorited, and/or subscribed! So, this chapter is mostly flashbacks to how everything went down after the argument, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten real life Blaine and Kurt. We just need to see the background story before everything else unfolds. Again, comments, reviews, thoughts, impressions, ideas, even criticisms are welcome! Enjoy!**_

_**Oh, I don't own Glee, Kurt, or Blaine... regrettably.**_

Blaine was running down the long flight of stairs two at a time. He lived on the fourth floor of his building and usually took the elevator, but it was getting fixed this week and was out of order for a few days. Not that Blaine minded taking the stairs, he was just excited (and slightly) nervous about his coffee date with Kurt.

Ah, Kurt. He who had caused Blaine so many sleepless nights over the past few years that they had known one another. Though, he had to admit, most of those sleepless nights were pretty awesome (if you consider making love to your adorably cute and charming boyfriend pretty awesome). Yet, there were other nights were they had fought and argued when they were together. The worst nights were the ones right after Kurt had left. Blaine remembered those nights far too well for his own good.

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><p>It was the first day after the argument. Blaine knew that the day was going to be hell for him. He had a major hangover and if what he remembered from the night before had any truth to it, he knew that he was in for the crappiest day of his life.<p>

He walked into the kitchen to find Kurt sitting at the table, drinking his coffee and reading a book. Kurt usually greeted him with at least a 'good morning' or 'hey babe' or 'it's about time you're up.' But today, he wasn't saying anything. He barely glanced up from his book and gave a slight nod of his head, his beautiful green-gray eyes had a look of piercing cold that Blaine had only seen a few times before.

Already, Blaine knew that last night was not just a figment of his imagination. He knew something had happened and he was responsible for this somber mood that Kurt was in. So, he sat down and reached across the table for Kurt's hand. Kurt moved his hand just as Blaine was within reaching distance and they both looked at each other. Blaine with a baffled look on his face and Kurt with that same icy stare.

Blaine decided to break the silence, "Kurt, I'm so sorry for last night. I barely remember anything… and trust me, this killer hangover is good enough reason never to drink again," he tried to smile at the other boy, but neither of them seemed to be in the mood for happiness right now. So Blaine continued, "I do know we had a fight and I'm pretty sure I was the one who caused it, but I really don't remember much else… If it was about the drinking…"

Kurt looked up with a saddened look on his face, almost like pity, but mixed with anger and hurt.

"Blaine…," he took a deep breath before continuing, "you really don't remember what happened? Because I do. I walked in on my boyfriend with his damn tongue down some idiot's throat because he was lonely and drunk."

Whoa, Blaine wasn't expecting that, but he let Kurt continue, "Do you know how conflicted I feel right now? I was the one that caused you to feel so lonely that you felt you needed to drink to put yourself out of your misery… but making out with another guy? …I never thought I'd have to feel that pain. I never thought I'd feel that pain because of you. I was heartbroken when I walked in last night. I left Joey's early because I thought maybe we could spend some quality alone time together and I walk in on you drunk and almost ready to fuck another guy," his voice was starting to rise, but he took another deep breath and continued, "How am I supposed to react to that?"

Kurt's voice cracked and Blaine could see the tears starting to form in his boyfriend's eyes. The older boy just sat quietly and waited for Kurt to continue, not wanting to hear what he said next, but forcing himself to listen anyways.

"Blaine, I love you with all my heart… but things just aren't the same anymore, are they? I… I think maybe I should leave. I'm so sorry."

He heard the hurt in his boyfriend's voice and knew that this was the end for them. Kurt's goodbye wasn't a 'hey, I'm going to leave and grab a bite to eat, be back soon.' It wasn't even a 'I hate you right now and need some time to think things through, but I'll be back tonight.' No, it was a 'things have been rotten the past few months and we both knew this was going to happen sooner or later. You kissed another boy, so now I have a reason to leave' kind of goodbye. He wanted Kurt to come back and say it was all a big practical and insensitive joke or a test or something; anything but goodbye. He wasn't ready to say goodbye. He needed his boyfriend to hold him close and tell him everything was going to be okay, but he knew deep down that everything wasn't okay. Nothing had been okay for a few months now, and this was it. It was finally the end for Kurt and Blaine.

Blaine couldn't find any words, so he just nodded his head to Kurt's statement and stayed in his chair as Kurt stood up and walked to the door, sighing quietly before he opened it and walked out, finally allowing his tears to flow freely where he thought Blaine couldn't hear him. Blaine just sat dumbstruck at the table until he heard the door open again about an hour later.

Kurt had left to find a place to stay for the night, then came back to gather his belongings. He had barely talked to Blaine except to ask where the older boy had put the latest edition of his Vogue magazine. Blaine had replied by merely pointing to the nightstand drawer. When Kurt reached the drawer, he took his magazine, a few papers, and something that looked like a bottle of moisturizer. The younger boy then put his last few belongings in his bag, shrugged it on his shoulder, and gave Blaine a tight smile before walking out the door, leaving his key on the counter in the process.

As soon as Kurt left, Blaine allowed himself to break down and cry. He cried and cried until it felt like there were no more tears left, and then he cried some more. All day long he lay on the sofa and cried. He didn't remember exactly how it happened, but he remembered strong arms pulling him into a tight hug and holding him. He remembered the hand leading him to his bedroom and putting him into his bed. Then, he remembered those same arms engulfing him and holding him tight as he sobbed all evening. Finally, when all the tears were gone, he looked up to see who had been helping him and notices for the first time that day the bright green eyes and dark brown hair that belong to Jared.

Jared is the one who started this whole mess and Blaine should be disgusted to be in his sight. He should tell Jared to leave right now and not come back. He should tell him it's all his fault that he and Kurt broke up, even though it really isn't. He just wants someone else to take his pain away. He should kick him out of his apartment and especially not let the taller boy hold him so tightly and protectively. Blaine knows Jared needs to leave, but right now, he doesn't care. Kurt has left and he needs someone to protect him, to comfort him, to care for him. Right now, he doesn't even think about the consequences as he pulls Jared's arms around him tighter and allows the other boy to hold him as they fall asleep together on Blaine's bed.

When Blaine wakes up, the apartment is dark. Outside the lights of the city are shining. He must've slept through the entire afternoon. It's only then that he finds warm arms wrapped loosely around him and hears the sounds of someone snoring softly. He turns in his sleep and sees Jared lying right behind him.

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><p>Blaine recalls the next few months as he hurries down the street to his favorite coffee shop. They quickly became very good friends. Jared apologized for his hand in the "Klaine breakup," or so he called it. Blaine spent many nights holding to Jared, hoping that maybe if he concentrated hard enough, Jared would turn into Kurt and everything would go back to how it should have been in the first place.<p>

Jared was very kind and understanding about the whole situation. He would allow Blaine to lean on him, he listened to everything Blaine talked about, and he would even have late night Disney movie marathons with the younger boy. He was always there for Blaine when he needed someone.

As Blaine turned the corner to the coffee shop, he stopped for a moment and remembered the one night when everything changed with Jared. The one night that allowed Blaine to see what he really wanted. That one night that had started out so normal.

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><p>They had just finished singing along to A Whole New World in Aladdin when Blaine turned to see Jared staring at him from the opposite end of the couch. They had been having a relaxing night at Jared's house, just chilling, eating popcorn, watching movies, and singing along with the characters. But the look on Jared's face was anything but relaxed. In fact, he looked quite tense, like something was bothering him.<p>

"What's wrong man? You look like you just saw a ghost…"

"It's… nothing," he replied looking downward and forcing a smile on his face before looking back at the younger boy, "Don't worry about it, alright? Let's just finish the movie."

Blaine wasn't sure what was going on, but just went along with whatever Jared was up to. "Ok," he replied, "if you wanna talk about it, it's alright. I've seen this movie a hundred times, and we also have this little magical box that allows us to pause or rewind if we want to stop for a while."

Jared chuckled slightly, but didn't say anything else. They continued watching the movie and singing along like nothing had even happened. By the time the credits started rolling, Blaine looked over and saw Jared looking at him with the same look as before on his face.

"Ok, I know something's going on. We're friends, right? Why don't you just tell me instead of looking at me like that. It's starting to freak me out and I don't ge-" Blaine started to say, but stopped immediately when he saw Jared starting to inch closer to him.

He was coming closer and closer and... _oh my god_, thought Blaine, _why is his hand on my knee? Why is he still coming? What's he doing?_

Jared's face was now inches from Blaine's and Blaine didn't know what to think. His heart was beating so fast and he felt like he couldn't breathe, but he wasn't sure why. It was just Jared, his friend that had comforted him after Kurt left, his friend that he'd been closer to physically than any other boy besides Kurt (though in his defense, he had been really drunk). He couldn't say he hadn't seen this coming. Why was he freaking out?

Then Jared leaned in and closed the gap between them, softly pressing his lips against Blaine's. Blaine's heart jumped in his chest and he couldn't think. It felt nice to be kissing Jared. There was definitely something there. So Blaine leaned into the kiss a little bit and allowed himself to just be lost in the moment for just a little while.

When the two boys broke apart, the awkward silence engulfed them both. Neither could think of anything to say, so they just sat there. Soon, the seconds turned to minutes and Blaine knew he had to say something, if only to break the tension.

So he said the only thing he could think of right now, "well, the movie's over," then berated himself for saying something so stupidly obvious.

"Yeah, it is," the other boy replied a bit timidly, then a spark lit in his eyes as he continued, "so… it was really nice."

"Yeah, it was," Blaine said as he inched closer to Jared and brought his hand to cup the other boy's face. They both looked at one another for a second before diving in for a second kiss. Blaine sort of felt bad because he still wasn't completely over Kurt, but Jared knew that (at least Blaine was pretty sure he did). Blaine wasn't ready for a relationship, but kissing wasn't a relationship, right? They were just having fun, experimenting a little bit, nothing serious. Or at least that's Blaine thought until he heard the whispered words come from Jared's mouth right next to his ear.

"I love you Blaine. I've been in love with you for months now, and I can't believe it's taken me so long to admit it. We're finally where we should be. Right here with each other."

Oh shit.

**_A/N: Dun dun dun! Ok, so I know some people will hate Jared, but that's alright, let me know what you think of him. Be warned, this is not the end of him. I won't give away any more details yet though. Hopefully the next chapter will be up within the next week sometime! Thank you for reading, comments make my day:)_**


	3. Coffee Break

_**Thanks to everyone who is following, has favorited, commented, etc. on this fic! This is a short(ish) chapter, and I know it may seem like it doesn't follow the previous story line, but bear with me and just read along. Everything will tie together eventually. I wasn't actually planning on writing anything from Kurt's POV because I'm positive I will not do him the justice he deserves (I'm pretty sure I don't do Blaine justice either, but Kurt's always been my favorite character so I want to make sure he doesn't act ooc too much). This chapter just came to me and I had to add it in. It actually may change some of the story line I had originally planned... dun dun dun! Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it! Also, I do not own Kurt or Blaine or anything Glee related… if I did, well, it might push the boundaries a bit too much for family-friendly TV.**_

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><p>Kurt was sitting in his usual corner of the coffee shop where he and Blaine always used to come. He didn't know what it was about the small, quaint shop, but he loved coming here. It was a light tan color with dimmed lights, which made it cozy, and it always smelled so nice (what coffee shop doesn't smell wonderful?). Kurt loved the smell of coffee, the bitter yet slightly sweet taste, the warmth when it travels down his throat. Ok, maybe he shouldn't be thinking about bitter, warm liquids travelling down his throat right now. Not a coffee-shop-appropriate pondering topic.<p>

What was he thinking about again? Oh right, the coffee shop and how great it was. It actually reminded him of the Lima Bean in many ways; the lighting, the atmosphere, but mostly the memories. Many secrets, emotions, and tears were shed over countless cups of coffee in Lima. It was the one place in that small country town where he had his first real argument with his ex boyfriend. It was also where he first heard _I love you_ from that same man.

There were so many memories made here at this coffee shop in New York too. Blaine asking Kurt about his first day at work. Kurt making some snide remark about the outfit that girl was wearing that was at least 2 sizes too small and not flattering in any way whatsoever, and then watching Blaine's eyes crinkle as he chuckled at Kurt's catty honesty. Talking about the city, jobs, movies, music and concerts. Then there was a more recent memory… actually a memory that only happened a week ago. Blaine had recently contacted him again and wanted to see how Kurt was doing, so he asked him to meet for coffee. Kurt wasn't sure at first, but then decided that just talking couldn't hurt anything. He actually missed Blaine and it would be nice to see him, even if he had been a complete ass (then again, so had Kurt, though he would never admit it aloud). So, Kurt decided to meet his ...friend(?) and catch up on everything in life. He had not planned for what was about to go down that afternoon a week ago.

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><p>"Hi," Blaine spoke softly and timidly, "do you mind if I sit down?"<p>

"You called and asked me to meet you here Blaine," replied Kurt, a bit of annoyance creeping into his voice, but then realized he shouldn't really be a bitch. Blaine had asked him here to talk and maybe make things right, so a little more calmly, he replied, "of course you should sit down."

Blaine did as he was told and Kurt saw him quickly glance at the table, then look straight at Kurt through dark eyelashes. He could see the gleam of excitement and nervousness alight in Blaine's eyes. Those beautiful hazel eyes that he loved staring into and sometimes lost himself if he looked for too long. He knew the look on Blaine's face though. The older boy was about to say something important. As angry as Kurt had been the past couple of months with Blaine, he had missed his best friend and was hoping that Blaine would just be straight with him (no pun intended).

"Kurt… I," Blaine started, then looked sheepishly away, looking like he might not continue.

"…Yeah?" Kurt encouraged.

Taking a few deep breaths and seeming to gather his courage, Blaine started again.

"Kurt, I was a total and complete jackass to you. I was lonely and felt sorry for myself, and I hurt you because of that. I never, ever, wanted to hurt you and I'm so sorry. I don't even know how to express it in words*," his eyes were slightly glistening with tears and Kurt could hear the emotion in his voice. He usually only heard that type of emotion when Blaine sang, but here he was talking so openly about his feelings, something that had always seemed difficult for Blaine to do.

"I really messed up Kurt, and I've been trying to figure out how to get over you these past couple of months, but I just can't. You mean everything to me Kurt… I love you. I love you like I've never loved anyone else before and…," Blaine paused at this, looking at Kurt. Kurt felt himself flush by the compliments and utter sincerity in Blaine's words.

"…And that's why I…," taking a deep breath, Blaine continued, "I want to get back together."

Although this didn't surprise Kurt after everything Blaine had been saying, it still took him a minute to recover from the shock of it. The look on Blaine's face was so sincere and broken and lost that Kurt just wanted to reach out and tell him everything was going to work out. That yes, he would love to get back together. He knew that this boy loved him and cared about him. But, hadn't they broken up because things weren't working out and they just couldn't seem to fix the problem? What if they just went back to exactly how things were before? Kurt missed Blaine, but he wasn't sure he was ready to go back into a relationship with someone he wasn't sure he could fully trust. He knew Blaine's intentions were good, but getting hurt like that again… He needed some time to think about it.

"…Blaine," he stated softly, reaching over to grab the other boy's hand, "I love you too, but sometimes love isn't all you need in a relationship. I need to know that we have honesty, friendship, trust… loyalty. I can't get hurt again, and I can't hurt you again. It broke my heart to see you so lost and confused. And it broke my heart to see you with someone else. These past few months without you have been torture. But right now, I think I need some time to think things over. Can you give me a little while to think about it?"

Blaine looked at his hands, contemplating his answer, then looked at Kurt with those beautiful, expectant hazel eyes and slowly nodded his head in understanding, disappointment slightly etched over his features.

"Kurt, I don't want to pressure you in to anything. I love you and I want you to know that I truly am sorry about everything. I want to try this again, but if you're not ready or don't want to, that's ok. I can wait for an answer… just, let me know when you reach a decision. I'll honor whatever you want. Because honestly, I just want you to be happy," Then he stood up and left, glancing once over his shoulder to give Kurt a slight smile and nod before walking out the door.

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><p>Now Kurt was sitting in the same place, at the same table, waiting for the same man who had said all of those wonderful words and just wanted him to be happy. It had taken Kurt a very long time to come to a decision. It was one of the most difficult decisions he had ever made in his life; even more difficult than choosing fashion over musical theater for his college major. He looked at the situation in every way possible and finally, after considering all of his options, he made the decision two days ago. And today, he would be telling Blaine.<p>

As he sees a curly haired, dark figure walking through the door, Kurt straightens up in his chair, pushes his hair out of his eyes, takes a small sip of his coffee, and takes a deep breath.

"This is it," he mutters under his breath.

_I sure hope I'm making the right choice._

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><p><strong><em>So, I know that's a mean place to leave you guys hanging, but don't worry, I've already started chapter 4 and it should be up asap. It will start to tie some things together and also open some different scenariosproblems/developments entirely for our favorite couple. Expect angsty-romance-dramedy!_**

_* A/N: I just realized that makes it sound like he's going to be singing an apology to Kurt, lol! _


	4. Decisions, decisions, decisions

_**Ok, chapter 4 up and running! I won't say anything else or I might actually give something away. Reviews, favorites, story alerts are appreciated. Hope you enjoy this one. I had a blast writing it. Also, I don't own Glee or Kurt or Blaine, sadly...**_

Blaine stared at the coffee shop for a moment, gathering his courage. He knew Kurt was inside waiting for him with an answer. It had taken Kurt a long time to come to his answer, nearly a week, but Blaine supposed that was a good thing. It had given him time to think (and worry) about what would happen next to the both of them. If they were going to pursue this relationship as adults, they needed to face reality and realize that they weren't in high school anymore. Kurt may have been his first love, but he knew in his heart that he would be his only true love. Blaine couldn't lose that. Kurt just had to say yes.

Gathering up all of his courage, excitement, and nervousness, Blaine pushed the door open lightly and walked into the Coffee Lounge. He felt at home in this little shop, feeling the warmth of the atmosphere around him. That's when he spotted Kurt and his breath caught in his throat. Kurt was looking drop dead gorgeous in his tight black pants, white button up shirt with a gray-blue vest that matched his eyes and a simple black bow tie. His hair was styled messy, but perfectly so*. He was sitting at their usual table, two cups of coffee in front of him.

Blaine (nervous as hell) put on his best smile and made his way towards Kurt.

"Hi," Blaine said as he sat down in the chair opposite Kurt, "you look great, as usual." Compliments never hurt, right?

"Hey," Kurt replied, a bit more timidly than he usually would. The younger boy looked straight at Blaine, and Blaine could feel his heart starting to beat out of his chest and his palms starting to sweat.

As Kurt started to make small talk, Blaine could feel the tension in the air. He needed an answer so badly he couldn't stand it anymore, but he knew Kurt would tell him in his own due time and in his own way. And he knew whatever Kurt decided would be the right choice because the younger boy always overanalyzed everything; every possible situation, scenario, possibility, you name it. He would look at the good, the bad, and the ugly before ever coming to any decision, and though it sometimes made choosing a movie to see a difficult task, it was something he admired about Kurt.

"…Blaine, you still there?"

"Huh?" Blaine had forgotten that he actually had to listen right now. Damn, he'd have to work on that.

"You dazed out on me for a minute," Kurt said, "I was asking if you needed any more coffee, I was just going to grab another cup…?"

"Oh, um, yeah… thanks," he replied, putting on his best 'don't worry about me, I'm fine' smile. As soon as Kurt was far enough away, Blaine started to get fidgety again. He pulled a hand along his hair, messing up his perfectly styled curls. Why was Kurt taking such a long time to give him an answer? Was he trying to figure out the best way to let Blaine down gently? What if he realized he didn't want to be with Blaine anymore? What if he wasn't in love with him? Oh god, what if he didn't have an answer yet and this was all some big test and Blaine was failing and he'd never get Kurt back!… and….

_Stop thinking like that Blaine, everything's going to be alright, he's going to come back, say everything you want to hear, and things will go back to how they were before. Just stay cool and relax._

Taking a couple of deep breaths and closing his eyes to focus, Blaine started to calm down. He kept his eyes shut until he heard the sound of walking feet. _Yes, Kurt must be back with more coffee._ He opened his eyes and looked at the figure standing just inches away from the table.

Oh no, no, no… Hell no, what was he doing here?

"Hi," said Jared.

Hi? After all he did to Blaine and hi was the only thing he could say?

"I'm busy right now Jared, you should leave. I have nothing left to say to you… and unless you're here to apologize, you should get out, now. Actually, scratch that, just leave. I don't want or need an apology from a scum bag like you," Blaine didn't want to get into this right now, not when he was so close to Kurt's answer. But he could feel the anger fueling his body, ready to lash out if the other boy didn't leave soon.

"Just hear me out man, I… I wanna be with you. I'm sorry for being so forceful that night a month ago, but I seriously got the vibe that you wanted the same thing, and once I start," Jared paused and lowered his voice as lust filled his eyes, "I don't stop easy."

"Just get out, I'm here with someone and we don't need any drama right now," Blaine could feel himself shaking with rage but forced himself to stay calm, if only for Kurt's sake. Jared obviously didn't take the hint and sat down, opposite Blaine where Kurt was sitting only minutes before.

"Blaine, you know how I feel about you. I don't know why it's so hard for you to understand that you might feel the same way about me if you just tried it out. I mean, we were friends, why no-"

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Jared was suddenly cut off by a voice so full of venom and malice that it caused Blaine to shiver and shrink back into his worn out cushioned chair.

Kurt continued speaking, anger spilling out with every word, "I came here this morning to talk to Blaine… I don't need to see your disgraceful face around here right now, I left for two minutes to refill our coffees, and you show up. Now," his voice dropped frighteningly low, "Leave. Us. Alone."

The icy glare Kurt was giving Jared was enough to make the older boy realize that maybe wasn't the time to talk to Blaine. So he slowly got up from his chair and looked at Kurt with jealous, hate-filled eyes. He smirked at the younger boy once before turning back to Blaine, leaning over the table, and whispering low enough so that only Blaine could hear, "when it doesn't work out, you know where to find me, just like last time," and with that, he turned on his heel and left, the door rattling shut behind him.

Blaine was terrified. Jared had done something to him that he couldn't even think about anymore because it was too painful a memory. All the pain, the emotional torment, why couldn't he have just stopped, like Blaine had asked him to so many times before he finally just gave in and stopped trying to move… because, the more he moved, the more it hurt, and it was just too much, too painful to rememb-.

"Blaine? You're white as a ghost. What happened? When I came back over here, you two looked like you were arguing…" Kurt barely whispered these words, looking at Blaine with genuine concern before grabbing his hand.

"I-it's just… we had an argument a while ago. Don't worry about it," Blaine looked at Kurt and turned on his most dapper smile (even though he knew Kurt could see through his fake happiness, he hoped that the younger boy would just forget it for right now; there were more important things to discuss).

"Alright… if that's what you want," Kurt replied, though he didn't look convinced and Blaine knew that the topic would be brought up again someday.

After sitting with a few minutes of awkward/tension-filled silence between the two, Kurt took a deep breath, looked nervously at Blaine, and started speaking, "Um, the reason we're here… I mean, I want to tell you that… well, the answer to your question from last time…"

Blaine held his breath, pleading for Kurt to say yes, for Kurt to be his again. He was literally praying to anyone or anything who was listening above while he looked at Kurt with awaiting eyes.

"Well, I've had a lot of time to think it over," Kurt continued, "and, I think I want to give it another shot. Me and you," Kurt glanced at the table, "so, yes, I want to get back together," he then looked at Blaine, smile filling his face.

Blaine broke out in the biggest grin he'd ever had in his life and reached over to take Kurt's hand in his. His smile faltered slightly and a bit of worry crossed his face before he said softly, "you really mean that?"

"Yeah, I do. I… Blaine, I love you so much, I always have and have this feeling that I always will… and I know if we just try harder to make this work that it can," Kurt spoke simply, "it just has to."

"I feel the same way Kurt. God I've missed you."

"Though I'm not 'God,' I think I'm probably the closest you'll ever get," Kurt replied, his sarcastic wit earning him a chuckle from Blaine, "and I've missed you too."

The two boys both leaned over the table and met in the middle for a chaste kiss. After breaking the kiss, they both looked at one another for a moment before Blaine remembered he had brought something and reached into his pocket.

He spoke up before pulling it out, "Kurt, I was really hoping that would be you answer, well, because I love you obviously, but I also got you something." He pulled the envelope out and handed it over to Kurt.

A look of amusement and shock passed over Kurt's face before he carefully broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out two little pieces of paper and gasped in shock.

"Blaine… oh, wow. Is this…? How did you know?" Kurt was practically jumping up and down in his seat at the excitement.

"Well, you did tell me once you'd love to visit Paris…especially during fashion week," Blaine said casually as he smiled at his boyfriend (_boyfriend, that sounds so wonderful, I've been tired of calling him my ex_).

Kurt came around the table and pulled Blaine in for a hug, "you do realize you bought two tickets, right?"

"Well," Blaine said impishly, "I thought you'd like to invite someone… you know, Paris is the city of romance, right?" He ended with a mischievous smirk.

"Hm, maybe I'll take 'Cedes… she loves the fashion and lord knows she could use some romance…" Kurt grinned as he saw the baffled look on his boyfriend's face, "…kidding. Of course I'm taking you Blaine. You're so gullible."

Blaine blushed and quickly took a sip of his coffee before standing up and offering his hand to Kurt.

"Shall we then? That flight leaves in two days time, and I know how long it takes you to pack."

"Ha ha, you're cute when you're trying to act funny," Kurt grinned and then turned on his heel and pulled Blaine out of the coffee shop with him, "though I probably should start packing as soon as possible. Hopefully Grace will give me time off from work, though I'm sure she'll love having an intern at fashion week. I can write an article on it! Ooh, and maybe it will actually get published and I can…"

While Kurt continued talking about all of the possibilities that could come out of fashion week, Blaine felt dazed. He loved being back together with Kurt; it was the best thing in the world. But in the back of his mind, Jared was haunting his thoughts. He needed to talk about it sooner or later he knew… he would probably tell Kurt, but not today, and not until fashion week was over. Right now, he was just going to be happy for him and for Kurt. They needed the fun filled week in Paris and did not need any more drama, especially right now.

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><p>Jared saw the two walking out of the coffee shop holding hands and discussing something excitedly. He heard snippets of words like "Paris," "fashion," and "romance." He wondered what was going on. What were those two up to? He'd just have to figure it out… and make sure everything went wrong. Well, he could do that easily enough. He'd followed Blaine around long before he and Kurt broke up the first time. In fact, he knew exactly where Kurt would be that night Kurt had found Blaine and Jared wrapped around one another. He'd called and told Joey to give Kurt some excuse to get back to his apartment (something about Blaine feeling depressed and lonely). Kurt was so easy to get to when he thought Blaine was upset because of him (which he actually was).<p>

Kurt didn't deserve Blaine. Blaine was an amazing person and Kurt was just, well, he wasn't Jared. Jared was so much better than Kurt; he was smarter, less stereotypical, he could protect Blaine and love him and care for him. Blaine may look strong, but he was fragile and Kurt didn't understand that. Kurt himself was too fragile to be strong enough for Blaine, but Jared wasn't. Jared belonged with Blaine and he knew that if he could just get them to break up again, Blaine would be all his. Now the problem was figuring out exactly what he was going to do. But first things first, he had to interfere on whatever these "Paris fashion romance" plans of theirs were.

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><p><em><strong>So, now I have a legit reason to hate Jared. Please don't hate me. Just keep on reading. The next chapter should probably be up within the next few weeks or so.<strong>_

_*Think of how his hair is styled in the Born This Way video. So sexy!_

_Oh, and if anyone watches the Glee Project, I'm so glad that all four in the finals, they're all so talented and each one would add something new to Glee! Though I absolutely love Sam and have since the beginning… Damian's grown on me. I would be happiest if either of those two made it to the show. Anyways, reviews would be awesome :)_


	5. Packed & Ready

_**I was going to upload this earlier, but my computer whacked out and I had to get it fixed before it would let me upload or download anything... so I just restarted it and voila (not sure that's how its spelled, but oh well)! Next chapter should be up again in a few weeks or so, depending on how busy I get with school and work...**_

_**So, I changed the rating to M on this, in case anyone didn't notice. Right now it's more for aggression, violence, rape, depression, and might have some smutty scenes later on. I don't like spoilers, but I don't want anyone to read this that doesn't feel comfortable with the content. Do NOT read this chapter if you're uncomfortable with adult themes. I'm sorry to anyone who doesn't read M rated material who was reading before. I didn't realize it would end up this way (since it's been changing every time I start to write and will probably continue to change). Anyways, I'm thinking this is going to end about few chapters after this one… No spoilers for the ending just yet though (mostly since I don't even know how it will end just yet). Please review, favorite, whatever you want to do, etc, etc, etc...**_

_**Also, I don't own glee... or Chris... or Darren... much to my dismay.**_

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><p>Blaine had just put in the Princess Bride while Kurt had went to take a phone call from someone at school about the next week's homework. The past day, the two had spent together. They had talked, laughed, joked… everything they used to do so easily. Blaine could get used to this again. He missed Kurt, especially having Kurt to talk to. He really needed someone in his life to get him through everything that had happened. Jared was a jerk. Blaine still remembers every horrid detail from that night.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh god Blaine, you are so delicious…" Jared crooned as he swept his tongue down Blaine's bare chest.<em>

"_Jared, stop. I don't want this anymore. I can't do it… I can't… please stop." Blaine tried pushing away from Jared, but the older boy held him firmly in place. Jared was a larger and stronger than Blaine anyways._

"_Mmmmm… baby, you don't know what you're talking about. Just stop thinking about him and enjoy."_

_Blaine continued to struggle and tried to roll away when he felt something hit the side of his head and everything started spinning. Jared had hit him, hard, and then moved his lips close to Blaine's ear and whisper-growled menacingly, "Now stop moving or this won't be pleasant for either of us."_

_That voice terrified him. Blaine could feel the tears rolling down his face. Jared had been there for him for so long, why was he doing this to him now?_

_The humiliation of what the other boy was doing to his body was too much for Blaine… he zoned out and tried to think of happier times. He remembered Dalton and the Warblers. Yes, singing lead had been a happy time in his life. He also remembered Kurt. The one person who had been there for him, especially in his times of need. He had been the one who had given Blaine the courage to be himself, to start a relationship when he was so scared of what everyone else might think, the one who had brought him here to New York to live away from all of the mocking and drama of small-town Ohio. Kurt had been his very best friend…_

_As Blaine was thinking these thoughts, he could feel Jared moving on him. He tried not to think about what was actually happening or what might happen within the hour. There was nothing Blaine could do. He still felt fuzzy from the alcohol he'd been drinking earlier that night, and Jared smacking him upside the head didn't help at all. He thought about trying to get away again, then felt the throbbing in his head. Honestly, he didn't think he could move it he tried._

_Jared's fingers started to trace down Blaine's body, touching and stroking every inch of him. Blaine had never been more humiliated in his life. How could someone take such a beautiful act and turn it into something so disgraceful and disgusting? Jared's hands found what they'd been looking for and Blaine remembers trying to block the image out of his mind. He hated that his body was responding to the touch, he hated every second of it. He hated this, he hated Jared, he ha-"_

"Blaine? Is everything alright? You've been awfully quiet tonight," Kurt said concernedly as he slid his hand into Blaine's and plopped down on the sofa next to him to watch The Princess Bride. It was Sunday afternoon and they were taking things easy until their flight to Paris the next morning.

Blaine was broke out of his reverie and somewhat jumped, but not enough for Kurt to notice, "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah… Just… I've just been thinking over some things lately."

"Oh?" Kurt suddenly seemed more concerned, looking at Blaine with troubled eyes, "what kind of things? Do you want to talk about it? Cause if you do, we can talk instead of watch the movie," Kurt suddenly let go of his boyfriend's hand and sat to face him. He'd been trying hard to be the best boyfriend for Blaine. He couldn't lose him, not again.

"Kurt… I," Blaine took a long breath and forced a smile on his face and continued, "I'm just really glad you're back. I've missed you," he said and leaned over to place a chaste kiss on his boyfriend's lips, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kurt said as he half-heartedly smiled, but didn't seem quite convinced at Blaine's sudden change. Yet, he played along for his boyfriend's sake and knew that when Blaine was ready to tell him whatever was bothering him, he would.

That evening, the two watched a couple of different movies, acting out scenes together, yelling out lines before they actually happened on the shows, cuddling close to one another, and just enjoying being together again. When the night finally came to an end, Blaine just laid on Kurt's couch, his head resting on his boyfriend's chest. They lay there just happy to be together for quite some time until Kurt spoke up.

"So, uh," the younger boy shifted slight and Blaine slowly sat up to look at him in the eyes. Kurt was quiet for a minute before blurting out, "Doyouwantostayheretonight?" in one breath before blushing and averting his eyes from Blaine.

"What?" Blaine asked dumbstruck, even though he was sure he'd heard every hurried word Kurt had just said.

Slowing down a little, Kurt asked again, "Do you want to stay here tonight? I mean, I get it if you don't, but I just… you know."

Blaine thought for a moment before answering, "I'd love to stay tonight Kurt. It's pretty late anyways and my apartment's on the way to the airport. We can just grab my luggage on our way there. That way, we won't have to take separate cabs anyways. It's a win-win for both of us!"

Kurt smiled and took a step closer to Blaine. He had a look on his face before he practically growled, "that's what I was hoping you'd say."

He then grabbed Blaine by his shirt and pulled him flush against his body. His lips crashed onto his boyfriend's and they started moving in unison, taking in everything like their lives depended on this one kiss. Kurt lightly licked on Blaine's lower lip and Blaine opened his mouth to allow Kurt entrance. Their tongues swirled around one another so perfectly. When they finally had to take a breath, Blaine could only say one thing, "Wow," before Kurt pulled him in again and started kissing him even more forcefully. Blaine moaned into his mouth and was enjoying every second of this while it lasted.

At least he was until Kurt started to move his hands lower and reached into Blaine's back pockets to cup his ass. At this movement, Blaine froze, hearing a voice far off in the distant as the memory racked his brain.

"_Oh, wow, you're so tight, hold still…"_

Blaine pulled back and jumped away from Kurt. He turned around before seeing the look of utter confusion and hurt on his boyfriend's face. Blaine was breathing harder than usual after making out and Kurt wasn't quite sure what he had done wrong.

"Blaine, honey," Kurt walked over to stand behind Blaine and put a comforting hand on the older boy's shoulder, but Blaine just moved away from him and wrapped his arms around his middle, still not looking at Kurt.

"I… I'm sorry Kurt. Maybe we shouldn't go so fast. I mean, we just got back into this, maybe we should slow down…" Blaine said, staring at his feet, his back still turned on Kurt.

"Hon, I can tell something's wrong. We've went further than this and it never bothered you before. And you were acting really weird earlier this evening. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, just, can we just drop it?" Blaine said a little angrily before finally turned to Kurt and the pained look in the older boy's eyes sent tears to Kurt's eyes. Something was definitely wrong, but should Kurt approach the topic right now or wait?

"Blaine… something is wrong. How are we supposed to get through this relationship unless we are completely honest with each other? That's one of the things that broke us up in the first place, remember? So please, tell me what's going on. I want to help you. I want to be here for you, no matter what you're going through."

Kurt was standing right in front of Blaine now and slowly reached his hand out to put Blaine's chin up so they were staring straight into one another's eyes.

Blaine looked so lost and hurt and scared. Kurt had never seen him like this before (he wondered if this was how Blaine looked months ago when he left, but decided not to dwell on that thought).

Blaine tried to look somewhere else, anywhere but Kurt's face because he knew if he kept looking, he would ruin their week in Paris. He would tell Kurt everything. He didn't want to burden Kurt with this problem just yet though. He couldn't believe that one little touch sent him into such a frenzy. _I mean, I know I've been having nightmares and stuff about this, but now it's haunting me when I'm with my boyfriend? A man I know loves me as much as I love him? What if this never goes away? Kurt at least deserves to know why I'm acting so weird right? Or will that just drive him away again?_

Blaine closed his eyes, opened them and found Kurt still there, looking at him with the same worried expression on his face. Finally, Blaine spoke.

"He hurt me."

It was barely audible, but it was all he said. It was all he could say because he knew if he said any more, nothing good would come out of it. He knew he'd start crying if he said anymore and he just wasn't ready to relive those details. Kurt's face turned from worried, to dumbstruck, to livid, then to a mix between livid and worried.

His voice quivered when he asked Blaine one simple question, "How?"

"I… I can't relive that, not yet," Blaine said, then he broke down and Kurt was there, holding him close and whispering soft nothings into his hair. He pushed back the curls and held Blaine closely and let the other boy cry. Kurt knew that sooner or later, they'd have to deal with the details, but he would let Blaine decide when that would be. He couldn't push his boyfriend into any more trauma tonight. He'd already experienced too much for a lifetime.

On the inside, Kurt was furious. Jared was going to pay for this. He was going to pay for everything and more. _I might seem like a weakling, but I can kick his ass any day. He will pay for what he did to Blaine. No one hurts my man and gets away with it, especially not some scum bag like him._ As Kurt thought of revenge plots, he led Blaine to his bedroom. They lay down on the bed together, Kurt making sure not to get too close so as not to cause Blaine to have another break down, but close enough that he could comfort his boyfriend.

Blaine was able to calm down once he was finally in bed. He felt his heart beat return to normal and his sobbing slowly went away as he could feel the warmth of Kurt lying on the other side of the bed. He knew that tomorrow Kurt wouldn't push him into any more details. He wouldn't push him at all. That was one thing about them; they knew when to ask and when to wait for the other one. They understood one another so naturally and Blaine loved that about them. He continued thinking happy thoughts about Kurt as he slowly, finally, fell asleep. That night, for the first time in months, he slept peacefully through the whole night.

* * *

><p>The next morning came and everything from the night before was not forgotten, but not talked about yet. They had a plane to catch and barely made it on time for their flight. Blaine was in a much better state of mind and was practically as excited as Kurt. He hoped last night's affairs wouldn't affect their Paris trip; he wanted it to be special for Kurt.<p>

They walked down the aisle to their seats and put their carry-on's in the baggage chamber above their heads. Settling down, they talked excitedly about the trip and what they wanted to do besides the day set aside for Kurt to see all of the newest fashions. As the flight took off, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and whispered excitedly into his ear, "Thank you for this… for everything. I love you."

Blaine turned and smiled at Kurt before tightening his grip slightly on his boyfriend's hand and leaning his head on his shoulder. He could hear the beating of their hearts, practically in synch with one another before he heard Kurt speak once again, oozing with excitement "I can't believe it… we're actually going to Paris!" as if the realization of the idea just hit him. Blaine looked up, laughed, and laid his head back on Kurt's shoulder as they settled into a comfortable silence while the plane leveled out in the air.

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><p>Among their preoccupied happiness, they didn't notice the figure in the back row of the plane. The tall man with dark hair and green eyes, watching them intensely. <em>Yes, <em>hethought_, we're actually going to Paris. _Then he turned to look out the window, glancing back at the couple every few moments, jealousy boiling in his gut every time he saw them grab one another's hands or laugh and smile. _This would definitely be a memorable trip… for all of them._


End file.
